On Spring Street between Hudson and Varick sits the New York City Fire Museum, which is full of history and a tribute to “the bravest.”

New York City Fire Museum (via Jane Tillman Irving / WCBS 880)

Eventually, though, it comes down to numbers.

9/11, 343 department lives lost, the 10th anniversary, and the very first man to fall.

“Mychal Judge’s bunker coat and his helmet are here. Chaplain Judge is recognized at victim 0001 – the first official death at the World Trade Center,” Executive Director Damon Campagna told Irving. “It’s a pretty special piece to have here. We’re honored to have it.”

Campagna said the museum’s memorial also has an impact on out-of-town visitors.

“They’ve only known it through television. We have a helmet that was recovered from the site. We have a piece of an airplane. Tools,” he said. “When people talk about dust and the contaminants of the site and what that was like, these objects still have that material on it. You know, it’s very emotional.”